


A Christmas For Family

by Jayie_The_Hufflepuff



Series: The Molly Hooper Companion Chronicles [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock - Fandom
Genre: Christmas Special, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Molly Hooper Companion, The Soldier Who Stayed, The Woman Who Counted, companion - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:57:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2830691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jayie_The_Hufflepuff/pseuds/Jayie_The_Hufflepuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set between The Unicorn and the Wasp and Council of the Seven Rings. Molly and the TARDIS travelers decide to have their own Christmas. Takes place in my Soldier Who Stayed story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One: Shopping Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has a surprise request.

     “I haven't got any idea what she's up to either,” the Doctor confirmed as they filed into the console room. Molly and Lestrade shared a mystified glance, but they didn't seem to have any answer.

     Early that morning, Donna had woken all of them. She'd even managed to wake up the Doctor before he woke himself up. That was a feat in and of itself. Donna had told them to meet her in the the console room in half an hour, so they had all reluctantly gotten up and dressed. Molly was yawning by the railing, and Greg was looking like he wasn't awake enough to even be standing.

     A few moments later, Donna bustled into the room, all bright and grinning and awake. That was definitely weird. Donna was very notably _not_ a morning person. The Doctor couldn't help but be a little wary as Donna came to stand before all of them, her hands clasped behind her back. “Good morning, everyone,” she greeted cheerfully.

     “A very _early_ morning,” Molly grumbled, not unkindly. “Why are we up so early exactly?” Greg blinked a couple times beside her, as if trying to re-enter the world of the living.

     Donna beamed. “As you all know, since we travel through time, and the TARDIS is usually in the Time Vortex, it's never really any specific date for us. But I've been keeping a calendar in my room ever since I joined up.”

     The Doctor raised an eyebrow. Other than Donna, he was the only one who was fully awake. “Is there really a point to that? I mean, the TARDIS can take us to any date anywhere that you'd like.”

     The ginger companion glared at him. “It's my way of keeping track of time, so zip it.” The Time Lord backed down with a nod. “Anyway, I've been counting the days, and if I had stayed on Earth, does anyone know what day it would be for me by now?”

     “Five in the morning?” Lestrade asked groggily.

     Donna rolled her eyes. “No, you dolt.” She let the suspense build for a moment, grinning in delight as she finally announced, “Today is two days before Christmas Day!”

     The Doctor and Molly shared a surprised glance. On the TARDIS, they rarely kept track of any conventional measure of time. He hadn't realized that Donna would've kept such a close eye on it, or that it would be Christmas now on the slow path. “Oh. Is it that time already?” He wasn't really sure what else to say about it.

     She seemed a bit disappointed at the lackluster response. “Well gee, don't all shout at once,” she snarked. “It's been two years since we first met, Doctor. I just figured we could celebrate and have a proper Christmas.”

     Molly perked up, starting to look a little more awake at the prospect. “Christmas? Sounds good to me.”

     The Doctor remembered that Christmas, the first time he had met his fiery companion. His brow furrowed as he remembered a particular part of that little adventure. “Hang on, I thought you said you hated Christmas?”

     “Well, yeah, sort of,” Donna admitted, “but Christmas for me usually means all those stuffy relatives you don't like all crowding inside your house, and driving to work with the roads all covered in snow. No thanks. A Christmas on the TARDIS, though, that doesn't sound half bad.”

     The Time Lord took a moment to think. He'd had a lot of crazy, danger-filled Christmases lately. Running around London being chased by robot Santas and fighting spider ladies, and trying to stop the spaceship Titanic from crashing into the Earth, that disaster of a party at 221B, and a bit of a calmer one skating on a mineral lake with Molly. But he hadn't had a real Christmas in several years. The last time had been on the Powell Estate, with Rose Tyler and her family. Back on that lake with Molly, he hadn't been ready for a real Christmas. The memory of Rose hurt too much. But time had passed, and his friends and his travels had helped him to heal, at least to some degree. He grinned at Donna, his hearts light as he agreed, “Doesn't sound bad at all.”

     “What planet are we having Christmas on?” Lestrade asked, finally starting to look some semblance of awake. “Earth?”

     Donna shook her head. “I mean, if you want to, but I was thinking of just having it here on the TARDIS. We could spend the day going shopping for gifts and maybe get some decorating done, and then have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day here on the ship.”

     The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Decorating?” he asked dubiously. “What, decorating my ship?”

     Molly gave him a knowing glance. “Oh come on, you're the last person who'd have a problem with decorating the TARDIS.”

     He tried to keep a straight face, but it broke after a few seconds. “Yeah, you're right. 'Course we can decorate. I think I know a place where we can get a tree, too.” Even though the memories of Rose were still there, and they still hurt, the Doctor felt himself starting to get excited about this. A real Christmas, exchanging gifts and having dinner and decorating home. It sounded wonderful.

     Donna grinned. “Great! Then let's get started.”

**SCENEBREAK**

     Once everyone had eaten and were finally fully awake, the Doctor sent the TARDIS soaring through time and space. Before they'd left, Donna had shot Sherlovk a text to ask if he wanted to join them for Christmas. The only response she'd gotten was, "Busy. - SH", so that was that.

     They landed with a sharp jolt as the TARDIS settled into place. The Doctor was the first out the door, followed by Donna and Greg, with Molly bringing up the rear. She closed the TARDIS door behind her as they headed out onto the new planet.

     They seemed to be in the front lobby of some kind of mall. But it was like no mall Molly had ever seen before. It was _huge_ , with dozens of floors far above their heads, and dozens more below. The mall seemed to stretch out forever in front of her, stores and stores with no end in sight. Donna's eyes bulged at the sight, and Greg let out a low whistle.

     "Welcome to the Siriun Shopping Moon," the Doctor announced, hands clasped behind his back in the stance he always took before launching into one of his schoolteacher rants. "The fifth moon of the planet Randon, and the largest shopping center in all of history. The entire moon makes up the mall. They have a store for everything, or at least that's what's on their tagline. I figure it shouldn't be too hard to find Christmas gifts here."

     Donna's eyes were wide as she stared at the wide expanse of stores in front of them. When she finally tore her gaze away and looked back at the Doctor, there was something dangerous in her grin. "When all this is over, we are going to visit this planet more often," she declared.

     The Doctor grinned. "Yes ma'am," he told her.

      Molly stared at the vast selection of stores. "How do we find our way around?" she asked. She was used to long days of walking and navigation, after a year of it, but this took it to epic proportions.

     In answer, the Doctor crossed over to the far wall of the lobby. On the wall hung several metal bands of some sort. He grabbed several and rejoined his companions. "These are transport bands," he told them as he strapped one onto each of his wrists. He held them out for his companions to see. "They're restricted to the mall, and they can't travel through time, but they're handy for getting around."

     All three took a pair as the Doctor handed them out. "How do they work?" Greg asked as he strapped on his bands.

     The Doctor explained, "They're linked to your minds. Just think of what sort of store you'd like to go to, then touch the bands together, and they'll teleport you there."

     Molly grinned. "Sounds easy enough." That would be a lot easier than trying to trek around an entire moon trying to find the right sort of store.

     The Doctor nodded. "Yup. Now, I figure we should stick to groups of two, you know, just in case."

     "What?" Molly couldn't help but smirk. "Just in case we find trouble. You know you were going to say it."

      He shrugged sheepishly. "Trouble seems to find us anywhere we go," he pointed out. "It's not like it would be a surprise."

     Donna snorted. "No alien'll dare getting between me and this Christmas." No one argued with her. "Alright, I'll stick with Spaceman. Molly and Lestrade can shop elsewhere, then once we're done we can switch off."

     Molly nodded. "Good plan. Each group'll need a phone, so we can decide when to meet up again." She pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I've got mine."

     "And I've got mine," Donna said, holding hers up for Molly to see.

     "Perfect," Greg said. "Molly and I can head to a movie store to start."

     "And the Doctor and I can look at books," Donna finished.

**SCENEBREAK**

     The groups split up, setting out for the stores they'd chosen. Molly and Greg landed in a store filled with vast shelves of movies. They seemed to have every format of movie possible. There were Blurays and DVDs and VCRs, and even laser discs. There were new formats too, ones too futurists for Molly to recognize. They ignored them and stuck to the DVDs and Blurays.

     As they browsed through the movie collection, Greg spoke up. "Bit if a change from last Christmas, eh?" His time was light, but Molly didn't miss the way he glanced up at her quickly with faint concern in his eyes.

     Molly nodded. "Yeah, definitely a step up." They'd spent that Christmas in a slave quarters in New York. They'd been hiding, they were always hiding that year, but at least they'd been doing something other than sitting with the other slaves talking about how miserable they all were. "At least we had lights."

     Her boyfriend grinned at the memory. "Yeah, I forgot. That lady Susan hoarded all those light bulbs. They had that little tree from wood planks from the shipyards and bulbs."

     "I think the best gift that year was that the Toclafane didn't catch them at it," Molly laughed. It felt good to laugh about the Year for once. Thinking about it didn't hurt as much as it used to. Even through all the misery, there were a few good moments to think fondly on.

     Greg laughed too. "Oh man, I thought they were going to get us for sure when that kid broke that bulb. I'm amazed they got the blanket over us and the tree as fast as they did. If the Toclafane had been there any quicker, we would've been dead."

     Molly remembered it well. Even with their perception filter keys, having the Toclafane hovering so close, barely a foot away, had been terrifying. But once the danger had passed, somehow, the terror had subside. They'd managed to go back to laughing and celebrating, in their quiet, careful way. That one day had managed to be one of the most hopeful, genuinely happy times of the whole year.

     "You know," she mentioned as she paused and glanced over a documentary about Queen Elizabeth of New Britain on New Earth, "I've actually had another Christmas since then. Didn't really get a chance to celebrate, though. We almost crashed the Titanic into Earth. At Greg's raised eyebrow, she smirked. "Long story. The Christmas before that was Sherlock's Christmas party."

     Greg grimaced. "Not a happy memory for anyone, I'd guess."

     Molly shrugged. "It wasn't a total loss. I got to know you a little better." Greg gave her a warm smile, which she returned, before they both returned to their search. "The Christmas before that, the Doctor and I skated on a mineral lake. Point is, I've had four Christmases in the last almost three years, but none of them have been a real, sit down and enjoy the holiday Christmas... or at least one that didn't end in disaster. It'll be nice to hang up garland without something trying to kill me." Her hand went automatically to her neck, where her fob watch necklace usually hung. The chain had broken earlier that week, and she hadn't gotten the chance to replace it yet, so she'd left the miniature fob watch on the ship. Her hand lowered.

     She glanced up at Greg, trying to find a way to voice her concern. "I know last Christmas wasn't exactly a pleasant memory. Are you ready to have another one?" she asked softly. She'd gone through enough crazy Christmases to be ready for a real Christmas again. With the support of her friends, she was healing. But she knew how hard it could be to separate memories of long ago with the here and now, and that Greg was not always as fine as he seemed.

     Greg's eyes flashed with some long past memory, and there was a hint of pain, but no panic. "Yes," he told her. "I think the best way to move on is to replace the bad memories with good ones. Having Christmas again sounds like the perfect way to do that. My memory of Christmas can be of a nice time with friends in the TARDIS, rather than -"

     "Sherlock being a brat and hogging all the canned meat?" Molly suggested cheekily.

     He laughed. "For someone who barely seems to eat, he could be a twat about rations, couldn't he?" Greg shook his head. "Alright, maybe last Christmas isn't the worst memory from that year. But it'll still be nice to have Christmas mean something other than light bulbs and hiding from Toclafane again." Concern lit in his eyes as he glanced at her. "What about you? Are you ready for a holiday?"

     Molly set down the movie she'd been looking at and turned to face her boyfriend. "Yes. I've had too many Christmases being chased by aliens or insulted by idiot detectives. Just this once, I'd like a nice, relaxed Christmas where I can watch corny movies and sit by a fireplace and be surrounded by lights and decorations."

     She crossed over to where Greg stood. One hand grasped his hand, and the other rested on his shoulder. Molly smiled warmly at him as she told him, "You know what I want? For this to be our first Christmas. We won't count that party at Baker Street, or that night in New York. This can be our first official Christmas together."

     He grinned, placing a hand on her waist and pulling her a little closer. His hand was warm and calloused around hers as their fingers entwined. "Of course. We weren't together those Christmases. This is our first Christmas as a couple. Big difference."

     They were practically chest-to-chest now. "Hell of a one month anniversary," Molly murmurs. "Let's make it count." Their foreheads rested together. Their hands fell apart as Molly reached a hand up to Greg's cheek. They kissed, warm and slow. Something warm and happy swelled in Molly's chest.

     It did eventually occur to them that they were in public, and that they were drawing the attention of several aliens. They pulled back and returned to their search. As they sorted through the movies, Greg spoke up. "I'm seriously drawing a blank here. What are we supposed to get the ancient time alien with a spaceship that can provide pretty much anything as a gift?"

     Molly shrugged. "Something that'll mean something. I'm a bit more stuck with Donna. I don't know what she'd... oh." She slipped one of the discs off the shelf, grinning as she read the title. "This'll work."

**SCENEBREAK**

     Donna groaned as they passed through another series of bookshelves. "Are there any books the TARDIS _doesn't_ have?"

     "Of course," the Doctor assured her. At her glare, he amended, "Probably." He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to defend himself. "Er, the TARDIS really likes Molly. She supplies a lot of books for her."

     She sighed. "And makes shopping for her a pain in the arse." The ginger companion glared irritably at the shelves. Donna knew how much Molly loved to read, so she'd thought it would be nice to get her a book for Christmas. But every book that seemed promising, the Doctor had to dash her hopes by informing her that the TARDIS library already had it. Donna was getting more irritated, and the Doctor was getting the feeling that they just weren't going to find any books that the TARDIS didn't already supply for Molly.

     The Doctor had been thinking about something since they'd stepped off the TARDIS. "Can I ask you a question?" he queried.

     Donna looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sure?" she replied warily.

     "Why do you want to have Christmas so badly?" Donna glanced at him in surprise. He knew that Greg and Molly hadn't found it odd that Donna would want to celebrate, but the Doctor had known her longer. He still remembered how she'd hated Christmas enough to have her wedding that day rather than celebrate the holiday. The utter catastrophe that wedding turned out to be probably hadn't endeared her to it any more. And now, out of the blue, she was going all out to get the holiday going.

     The ginger companion hesitated. For a moment, the tough mask fell away, and the Doctor could see vulnerability in her eyes. "Well, it's like I said," she told him. "Snow's pretty to look at, but it just makes everything all cold and miserable, and it's a pain in the arse to drive in. And, well, you've met my Mum. She seems to think that Christmas means getting tipsy and going on and on about my employment and life choices. Kind of puts a damper on the season of cheer."

     The Doctor remembered Sylvia Noble very well. From continuing the wedding reception instead of looking for her missing daughter to her disdainful attitude towards Donna, she definitely wasn't the Doctor's favorite person. He knew that under all the stubborn, loud, headstrongness, Donna carried a lot of insecurity, and he had a feeling a lot of it was due to how Sylvia belittled her. He felt a rush of sympathy for his companion.

     "Grandad's great," she added immediately, "but Christmas at my place has never been enjoyable. So I guess I just wanted to see what it was like having Christmas with... oh, nevermind."

     The Doctor prompted, "Christmas with what?"

     She shook her head. "Nah, it's stupid."

     "No, it's not," the Doctor assured her. He gave her an encouraging grin. "Come on, what were you going to say?"

     Donna glared at him, but finally, reluctantly finished, "I wanted to see what it was like having Christmas with a real family. Don't you dare laugh."

     The Doctor smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it," he promised. "'Course you're part of the family, Donna. And we'd all love to have Christmas with you."

     Donna seemed surprise by the easy assurance the Doctor offered. Her eyes flashed with warm surprise, then she cleared her throat, immediately picking up her brisk manner again. "Thanks. Yeah, speaking of, I was thinking I'd grab something for Sherlock and John while we're here. What do you think Sherlock would like?"

    The Time Lord raised an eyebrow. "I'm still just shocked you're considering giving him anything other than a piece of your mind," he admitted. He got the feeling that was a mystery he was never going to solve.

     Predictably, Donna grinned, but didn't respond. "I think I know what to get him. Come on, we're not going to find anything here."

**SCENEBREAK**

     After a while, the groups eventually switched up, Donna heading off with Molly while the Doctor teamed up with Greg. They finished their shopping, so the travelers all met up again. Together, they decided on decorations for the TARDIS, picking up lights and garlands and ornaments, plus boxes and wrapping paper. By the time they were finished, they were all toting several, huge shopping bags.

     They had planned on starting decorating once shopping was done. However, by the time they had loaded all of their bags back onto the TARDIS, they were all too exhausted to consider starting. They agreed to decorate in the morning, then head out for a tree and plan dinner.

     Donna hid the presents she'd bought in the closet in her room. The only ones she didn't bother to hide were the gifts she got for Sherlock and John. They sat out on her night stand, ready to be delivered to the flatmates whenever they next ran into them.

     For John, she'd bought a coffee mug, white with "I'm With "Genius"" and an arrow in thick black lettering. She figured he'd get a laugh out of it, whether he drank coffee or not. She wasn't really sure whether he did or not.

     Next to the mug sat a hand-sized figurine of a stick insect. She'd thought that would be enough, but when the Doctor pointed out there were clothes stores for aliens as small as the figurine, she couldn't resist. A little blue scarf was now wrapped around the neck of the figurine. The Doctor seemed uncertain about what Sherlock's reception of the gift would be, but Molly and Lestrade both roared with laughter when they saw it. They thought it was hilarious, although they weren't totally sure Sherlock would think so. Donna knew he would, though. It was a title of affection now, not a bitter insult.

     All the presents and decorations were bought. Tomorrow, they could get started with decorating, and the celebrations could really get started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a while since I've written these characters. But it feels good. I've missed writing Molly and everyone else. It felt so natural to go back to writing these roles. It's good to be back to it. :) It's not for long, but at least I get this one last chance to write these guys (unless I write that Torchwood spinoff, but if I do, it probably won't be for a very long time.)
> 
> Yep, the mystery project I mentioned on the new chapter of TToSM is indeed another Christmas Special for my fanfic. Instead of being set during The Woman Who Counted, this one is set during The Soldier Who Stayed.
> 
> This Christmas Special takes place between Unicorn and the Wasp and Council of the Seven Rings, about two weeks after Unicorn and the Wasp and a month before Council of the Seven Rings.
> 
> So yeah, this Christmas Special will come in three parts. The first, as you've noticed, takes place two days before Christmas and was released two days before Christmas. Same with the other two. So keep an eye out, because there'll be a chapter released tomorrow on Christmas Eve, and another released on Christmas Day.
> 
> Don't expect a lot of action and aliens out of this one. This here is a big ol' piece of fluff. Just so you're aware.
> 
> Just to let you know, this and the other chapters are pre-written. Not really significant to be known, but a fun little tidbit. I pretty much never let chapters sit after I've written them, I'm too impatient, I just post them right away. XD
> 
> As for Donna's gifts for John and Sherlock, I probably won't get to show their reactions, so I'll just say them here. Donna gave them their gifts just before the Hudson wedding. John got a laugh out of the mug, like Donna thought. Sherlock rolled his eyes at his gift, but when John wasn't looking, he put it up on his shelf. It has a place of honor next to his skull. It's still there, and Sherlock can't hold back a little smirk every time he sees it.


	2. Part Two: Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TARDIS inhabitants finish their preparations, decorating the ship and getting a tree.

     Donna woke early the next morning. The ginger companion felt energized like never before. She didn't even bother to grab a coffee before she hauled the decorations out of her closet and into the console room.

     Greg's eyes widened as all the garland and lights spilled out onto the grating. “It didn't look like that much when we bought it,” he noted lightly.

     Molly grinned with delight. “Excellent.” She reached down and grabbed an end of a garland strand. “We should probably split up if we want to get all of this done.”

     “All of this?” The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “You're not planning on decorating the whole TARDIS, are you? You'd be here 'til next Christmas. I haven't even seen the whole of the inside, and I've had 700 years to explore it.”

     Donna rolled her eyes. “Not the whole thing. I was thinking we could decorate the console room, the library, the lounge room, the dining room, maybe the kitchen, and the connecting hallways.”

     “You realize the hallways change?” the Doctor pointed out.

     “Not for Christmas,” Molly said. “The TARDIS wants to celebrate too. I'm pretty sure she made my closet larger so I could hide all my presents.” There was a warm, cheery _hum_ from the console, as if in response.

     The Doctor glanced at the console in surprise, smiling warmly after a moment's pause. “Alright. Well, if we're splitting up, I'll take the console. Greg, you wanna take the outer hall?”

     He nodded. “Sure.”

     “I'll cover the dining room,” Donna announced.

     “Which leaves me with the library,” Molly said with a grin. “Works for me.”

     Donna grinned. Excitement was tingling under her skin. It was so close now, and soon, the whole TARDIS would look festive. “Alright. Let's get to work.”

**SCENEBREAK**

     Molly put all of her concentration into making the library look as festive as possible. This was her favorite room in the TARDIS other than her own room. She was going to make sure it looked as good as she possibly could. The TARDIS seemed to be in a mood to help. When Molly got to the library, there were several ladders set up along the walls and shelves where she couldn't reach.

     By the time she finished, there was garland strung along every wall, candles and other nik-naks lining the top of every bookshelf. A large wreath hung above the fireplace, and lights glittered from the garlands above. Molly glanced around the room, satisfied with her work. The library looked properly cozy and festive now.

     She was about to head back out into the hallway to start decorating when Donna walked through the door. “Hi,” she greeted as she approached. “Just wanted to see how you were doing. I finished the dining room. I tried to find the boys, but they must've moved onto a different hallway.”

     Molly grinned. “I just finished in here, actually. I was about to find another hallway to decorate. Care to join me?”

     “Sure,” Donna agreed.

     The companions gathered together the left-over garland and headed out into the hallway beyond the library. As they started stringing up garland along the wall, Donna spoke up. “Honestly, I'm amazed we got through shopping without something blowing up to trying to take over the planet. It seems to be a theme for Christmas as a time traveler.” She glanced at Molly. “Did I ever tell you how I met the Doctor?”

     “No, but the Doctor mentioned it a bit,” she replied, unraveling more garland to hang up. “Something about Christmas and a giant spider?”

     She chuckled. “That's one way to sum it up. My fiance left me for a giant spider lady, there were robot Santas, Christmas trees tried to kill me, and we drained the Thames. Pretty standard now, but back then it seemed so insane.”

     “I wonder if we should be worried that we consider that standard now,” Molly said with a laugh. “With a first TARDIS Christmas like that, it's a wonder you want to have another one.”

     “You kidding? The giant spider was the selling point for me,” Donna joked. She looked curiously at Molly over her shoulder. “What about you? Were there alien shenanigans involved in your first time-traveling Christmas?”

     Molly chuckled. “Oddly enough, no. It was just skating on a mineral lake. It was actually pretty nice. I've had plenty of crazy alien Christmases since then, though. It's high time for a nice sit-down holiday.”

     Donna nodded in agreement. “You're telling me.” She smirked as she added, “I'm sure you and Greg will be looking forward to it. First Christmas as a couple, that's pretty big.”

     The companion smiled. “Yeah. I'm just glad that it'll be a real Christmas. We can actually relax and enjoy it.”

     “You two are so cute,” Donna said with a grin. “That gift you got for him is adorable.”

     Molly started to roll her eyes, but Donna cut her off. “Seriously though, I'm happy for you guys. You seem to really make each other happy.”

     The companion felt a rush of warmth. When she wasn't telling someone off, Donna was so sincere and caring. “Yeah, he does make me happy,” she said with a fond smile. “It's weird, thinking I was pining over Sherlock for so long.”

     Donna let out a sort of half-choking noise of shock. Molly glanced over at her in surprise as she tried to compose herself. Finally, she managed a short squeak of, “What?”

     Molly grinned. “Oh, did I never tell you? I used to be in love with Sherlock. For a long time, actually,” she said breezily. “Took me forever to get over that old snob. I was pretty gone over him, and he just sort of used me when he needed help with a case.”

     The ginger woman shook her head. “How does someone even fall in love with Sherlock Holmes. I mean, no offense, but I really don't get it.”

     “You're the one who went from ripping his head off to inviting him to Christmas,” Molly pointed out.

     Donna looked almost offended. “That's different,” she said firmly. “He's my friend, yeah. But he's not... he's just a skinny stick insect with a scarf and an attitude.” She sounded completely baffled as to how anyone would find Sherlock Holmes attractive. Molly had to hold in a laugh at her outraged expression.

     She just shrugged, grinning. “I dunno, he's got nice eyes.” Donna just shook her head in confusion. “Anyway, that was a few years ago. I'm so glad it worked out the way it has. I never would've been happy with Sherlock, not like that.”

     “And you love Greg,” Donna finished with a knowing grin.

     Molly smiled fondly as she thought of the Detective Inspector. “Yeah.”

     After that, they worked in silence for a bit, finishing their hallway and moving onto the kitchen, the lounge room, and whatever connecting hallways the Doctor and Greg hadn't already hit. They didn't see either of them again until they finally finished decorating. As they wrapped up the last hallway, the Doctor and Greg rounded the corner, approaching the other companions. “Is this the last of it?”

     Donna nodded. “Yeah. Where were you two?”

     “Ran out of decorations, went out to get more,” Greg explained.

     The Doctor grinned. “Now that the TARDIS is all decorated, everyone up for a little trip?” For someone who only celebrated Christmas when he stumbled upon it, he seemed to be radiating excitement.

     Donna and Molly shared an excited glance. “Time to get a tree?” Molly asked with a grin. “Count me in.” Donna and Greg nodded eagerly in agreement.

     “Alright then. Allons-y!”

**SCENEBREAK**

     It took a while to talk the Doctor out of taking the TARDIS to some grand, futuristic tree lot. His protests of “trees that grow their own lights!” were finally hammered down enough that he gave in. As nice as a tree like that sounded, Greg was pretty sure everyone agreed that this Christmas called for a nice, traditional Earth tree.

     They found a sizable tree lot in the country. The lot owner seemed a bit confused when they showed up with no car in sight, but he led them to the selection of trees with no comment, letting them browse at their leisure. The travelers took their time, going back and forth over various trees. The Doctor lingered over some of the taller trees. He tried to argue that with the TARDIS being bigger on the inside, they could fit any tree they liked inside, but when Lestrade reminded him that it still had to fit through the front door, he grudgingly gave in on that point.

     After a good half hour, they finally managed to find a tree they could all agree on. It was fairly large, though not ridiculously so. It was nice and full, with strong branches better for holding ornaments. It would be perfect for the TARDIS lounge.

     The Doctor wandered off to find the lot owner. His companions waiting by their selected tree, ready to help load it up for the TARDIS. It had been cloudy when they'd arrived, and now a soft flurry of snow began falling, adding to the white already draping every surface. Molly huddled against Lestrade; they were all bundled up in coats and gloves and scarves against the cold, but the wind still had them all freezing. “I'll be glad when we're back in the TARDIS,” she said. “That fireplace in the lounge sounds good right about now.”

     Lestrade gave a _hum_ of agreement, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Maybe we can scrounge up some hot chocolate in the kitchen,” he suggested. He and Donna were planning on preparing dinner for that night, but some hot chocolate for while they decorated wouldn't take long to make.

     “That would be perfect,” Donna said with relish. “I think my toes have froze off at this point.”

     Molly grimaced in sympathy. “At least we'll be able to thaw out in the TARDIS soon.” She glanced at the snow slowly drifting through the sky, and the rows and rows of white-draped pines. “It really is beautiful out here, though. I can't remember the last time we saw Earth snow.”

     Lestrade couldn't recall either. They'd seen snow a few times in their travels during the Year, but to them it had just it was harder to stay warm and find food while trying to not die. For the first time in a long time, he could just sit back and appreciate the snow without seeming it as an obstacle to survival. He smiled, Molly still huddled and warm against his side as he gazed out into the snow. “Too long,” he replied.

     The Doctor finally returned with the lot owner. Once they'd paid for the tree and gotten it all netted up and ready for transport, the travelers got ready to haul it out of the lot. “You all need help loadin' 'er into your car?” the lot owner asked, glancing around as though expecting to see a car drive up to pick them up.

     Greg chuckled. “We've got it. Thanks, though.” It would be amusing to see the man's face if he helped them carry the tree into the vast ship, but they did like to maintain some level of discretion now and again.

     The lot owner just shrugged and went to attend to some of his other customers. The four travelers worked together to lug the tree to where they'd parked the TARDIS. A few stray, dropping branches trailed in the snow behind them as they carried it. When they reached the TARDIS, it took a bit of squeezing to push the tree through the doorframe. Once it was inside, however, it was easy going. It was an easy haul from the console room to the lounge room, where they set it up in its stand.

     “We should let it sit for a while before we decorate,” the Doctor said, glancing over the tree. It sat on the opposite side of the room than the fireplace. “The branches need to settle. I've got something that can speed it along, but it'll still need a few hours.”

     Greg nodded. “Alright. Let's have lunch, relax for a bit, then Donna and I will get started on dinner. Will we be alright to decorate after dinner?”

     “Should be fine by then,” the Doctor told him.

**SCENEBREAK**

     With that decided, they all went off to shed their thick, snow-dusted coats and snow boots and regrouped in the kitchen for lunch. Lestrade had made hot chocolate to go with lunch. Everyone took a few minutes to warm up, before wandering off to double-check decorations and get ornaments and other decorations for the tree gathered together.

     There were a few hours of down time before dinner had to be started. Molly and Greg cuddled in the library for a bit while Molly finished a book she'd been reading for a while, Donna wandered in the garden room for a bit, and the Doctor made some tweaks to the TARDIS engine.

     They had dinner a few hours later. Most meals on the TARDIS were small, quick affairs. Most of the time, they'd just gotten back from one adventure or other, and all of them were too tired to put together any grand sort of meal. On days only spent in the TARDIS, someone might volunteer to cook something special, but it was still only every now and then. This time, however, Donna and Lestrade put everything they had into making it a proper Christmas Eve feast. Ham and turkey both sat out on the table, along with mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and so much more food. There was easily enough food for ten people. “Looks like we're eating leftovers for the next week,” Molly commented near the end of the meal. Everyone's plate was clear, but there was plenty of food left over.

     Once dinner was over and put away, they all headed over to the lounge room to decorate the tree. Lestrade's eyes widened when he saw the huge haul of ornaments. “Are we even sure if these are all fitting on the tree?” he questioned.

     Donna shrugged. “Yeah, might've gone a bit overboard with these,” she admitted. “Better than not having enough, though.” She plucked one of the ornaments out of its box, 

     They strung up the lights and the tinsel on the tree first. As they worked, Molly commented, “When I was growing up, Dad and I used to have this great big display of lights outside the house. You know, lights moving, lights lining the house, lights on one of the pine trees outside, different colored lights, pretty much anything you could think of. It was my favorite part of Christmas. We'd work together to get it all set up. When it was all done, we'd finish it off by decorating the tree inside.”

     Donna snorted. “We just had a couple lights outside. Grandad always wanted to have more, but Mum never let him. He went nuts with decorating the tree, though. If we ever went on vacation or anything, he'd always buy an ornament wherever we went. He's got a whole collection of them. Mum and I always made fun of him for it.” She chuckled as she added, “Guess I haven't got room to laugh anymore.” She had gone a bit overboard with the ornaments. Her excitement about the holiday, so unlike every other year, had made her a bit over-eager with her spending. Not that it mattered, what with none of them having to rely on a paycheck for their income anymore.

     Molly laughed. “I'm sure he'll be glad to hear you're carrying on the tradition,” she teased.

     “Yeah, probably.”

     Greg hung an ornament in the shape of one of New Earth's moons on a lower branch. “We had one of those plastic trees when I was a kid,” he chimed in. “Every year, we'd take turns to see who would be the first one to put an ornament on the tree.” He glanced over at the Doctor, who was retrieving another ornament from the pile. “What about you, Doctor? Any holiday traditions from when you grew up?”

     The Time Lord selected an ornament of some sort of alien that sort of looked like a rabbit with black fur and two tails like a squirrel's. As he returned to hang it on the tree, he explained, “Christmas is an Earth holiday. We didn't celebrate it on Gallifrey. Whenever I do run into Christmas, I tend to end up trying to save Earth from some alien or other.” Donna was impressed to see him talking about Gallifrey without any hint of pain or hesitation. It was a nice step forward. He was always so focused on trying to help Molly move forward that Donna wondered if he forgot that he was still healing as well.

     “That could count as a tradition,” Molly joked. “The TARDIS family Christmas tradition – running from aliens and trying not to die.”

     “Sounds about right,” the Doctor agreed ruefully.

     Donna glared at the two. “Oi. There'll be no running or alien invasions this Christmas,” she ordered firmly. “Got it?” She knew it wasn't anyone on the TARDIS's fault that someone always tried to take over the world during Christmas, but the Doctor seemed to have a penchant for attracting trouble. He'd had better keep his spaceman trouble finding powers to himself that holiday, or Donna would have something to say about it.

     The Doctor chuckled at the threat. “Yes ma'am. We'll just save it for next Christmas then.”

     “Deal,” Donna agreed with a grin.

**SCENEBREAK**

     When the tree was done, the travelers settled down on the sofa, looking at the room around them with satisfaction. The lights were off; the room was lit only by the lights twinkling on the tree and the flames crackling and rumbling in the fireplace, and the other lights strung up in the room. Molly was leaning against Greg, his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder. An overwhelming feeling of contentment settled over her. Christmas was almost there, and the tree looked beautiful. As much as she loved adventures in time and space, this home-style TARDIS Christmas had to be her favorite one yet.

     “I think it turned out pretty well,” Greg said, seeming to sum up Molly's thoughts. She made a small noise of agreement.

     After a few more moments of appreciative silence, Molly sat up, glancing back at her friends with a smile. “Anyone up for a Christmas movie?”

     “Do we have any?” Donna asked curiously.

     In answer, Molly stood, retrieving a Blueray box from her bigger-on-the-inside pockets on her jeans. The title “Christmas Vacation” was on the front. “It was a tradition in my house,” she explained. “We always watched it the night before Christmas.” She'd bought it back at the mall planet. She wasn't sure whether any of them had seen the movie or not, but she knew no Christmas would be complete without at least one Christmas movie.

     The Doctor grinned. “Sounds good to me.” The other two nodded in agreement. Satisfied, Molly went to set up the movie. Greg got up to make popcorn, and once he was back, she started the movie.

     When the end credits rolled, everyone wandered off to bed. Christmas Eve was over; only the day itself remained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter of my Christmas Special for The Soldier Who Stayed. As promised, this one takes place on Christmas Eve.
> 
> Sorry if this one got a little boring at times. This isn't a Christmas with crashing Titanics or robot Santas, and it's interesting writing something without even a little adventure for once. I tried to make it interesting and sort of fluffy. I hope I succeeded. It's nice seeing the characters being happy and just relaxing for once, I'll say that. They deserve a bit of rest between some of the stuff I've put them through.
> 
> Not much else to say about this one. Next up is the last chapter, Christmas Day. We'll get to see what everyone got everyone else as a gift. I think that'll be pretty fun. ^^
> 
> Also, just forewarning, next chapter is going to have a lot of jumping around of POV without switching scenes, much like the interlude where Molly and the Doctor talked about the Year. Just so you're aware going into it.
> 
> Merry Christmas Eve to all my readers. :D


	3. Part Three: Christmas Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TARDIS travelers wake up for Christmas morning.

     The next morning, Molly was up earlier than usual. In the Time Vortex, there wasn't any real measure of time, but the console room was dark and empty when she wandered in there. It felt like an early morning. Even the Doctor didn't seem to be up yet, which was a rarity. Molly almost felt like a child again, awake before the rest of the family on Christmas Day.

     As an adult, however, she had a bit more self-control. Instead of going to the lounge, she headed to the kitchen. If she was the first up, she might as well make coffee for everyone. They'd all want to be awake for opening presents and celebrating, and Donna and Greg would need at least two cups each to even be passably conscious.

     A few minutes later, Greg wandered into the kitchen. He yawned, looking miserably groggy as he shuffled over to the counter. Molly couldn't help but laugh at his drowsy expression. “Morning honey,” she said cheerfully, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek and passing a mug of coffee into his hands.

     Greg's only reply was an incoherent mumbling that sounded vaguely like some kind of attempt at human speech. While he drank his coffee and tried to re-enter the world of the living, the Doctor walked in, looking bright and cheerful as ever and dressed exactly like yesterday. Not for the time, Molly had to wonder if he ever slept. He beamed when he saw them. "Oh good, you two are up." He accepted the coffee mug Molly handed him. "Guess we're just waiting for -"

     Almost on cue, Donna trudged into the kitchen. Her ginger hair was tangled and mussed, and her eyes were glazed over and tired. She'd been fairly awake the last two mornings, but apparently the effort of that had two much to let her keep it up a third day, even if it was Christmas morning. Molly handed Donna a mug right away. She had seen Donna go without coffee before leaving the TARDIS once, and she had no wish to risk repeating that.

     The Doctor brightened. "Perfect! Let's get started!" He started for the door.

     Molly shared his excitement, but she also knew better than trying to rush the TARDIS's resident morning zombies. Especially Donna. She put a restraining hand on the Time Lord's arm and warned, "Actually Doctor, I think we better let the early birds here wake up a bit first."

     The Time Lord deflated a little. “Oh. Right. Well, I'll let you finish that then. I'll be in the lounge if anyone needs me.” He hurried away, leaving Molly with Greg and Donna. She rolled her eyes at the Doctor's impatience, but she couldn't help but be amused by his child-like glee now that Christmas was here.

     “Well, I better go make sure he doesn't open any presents without us,” Molly said after a few moments. She gave Greg a final peck on the cheek, then headed out of the kitchen. She found the Doctor in the lounge room, kneeling by the tree. A large pile of presents sat under the branches, in various colors and shapes and sizes. As the Doctor reached for one, Molly called out warningly, “Don't even think about it.” He jerked his hand back in surprise; clearly, he hadn't heard her come into the room.

     He glanced up guiltily. “Wasn't doing anything,” he mumbled.

     Molly shot him a disbelieving glare. “You know, Donna's going to kill you if you open any of these before she gets here,” she commented as she sat on the floor beside him. “So would I, matter of fact.”

     “I just wanted to see which ones were mine,” the Doctor protested.

     She just rolled her eyes. “Sure you were, Time Lord.” Even as she scolded him, she couldn't help but grin with excitement. The Christmas cheer in the air was contagious.

     A few minutes later, Donna and Greg emerged from the kitchen, looking far more awake now. Donna was beaming with excitement as she sat cross-legged on the carpet around the other side of the tree. Greg sat down beside Molly. The Doctor perked up as they sat down. “Great. We're all here.” He glanced at Molly questioningly.

     She rolled her eyes. “Yes, now you can start opening presents.” As the Doctor started rummaging through the pile eagerly for a present, she found herself wondering just when she'd become the designated parent on this ship.

     To help the Doctor out, she dragged her present for him out of the pile and slid it over towards him. “Here. Happy Christmas.”

     The Doctor grinned at her in response, then began pulling the wrapping off of it. Underneath the wrapping paper was an old-style alarm clock, with the round, analog display and the two bells on the top. But the back of the clock was what made it unique. Unlike most alarm clocks, where it would be flat, it was completely rounded in the back, and made out of cold, gray stone with indents and marks on it like a moon would have. “It's made out of rock from Earth's moon,” Molly explained. “Or at least that's what the tag said.” Earth's moon, where she'd first met the Time Lord and his mad, wonderful box. “Look at the back.”

     He turned it over. On the back was an inscription etched into the rock. He read it out loud; “ _To remembering our beginnings, and to days to come – Molly._ ” The Doctor felt a rush of warmth. He never liked to think about the day his companions would eventually leave him – whether by choice, circumstance, or simply the shortness of human life – but it was nice to think that when that day had to come, at least he'd have this reminder of their first adventure together, and the wonderful human he'd shared it with. He gave her a warm smile. “Thank you, Molly.”

     “Alright, enough with the mushy stuff,” Donna cut him off, not unkindly. “My turn. And here, Greg, you can open mine for you next.” She handed him a small present from the pile and selected an even smaller one that had her name on it.

     “That one's from me,” the Doctor put in as she started to open it. Inside was a small box. When she pulled back the lid, there were little, ornate stud diamond earrings and a necklace with a beautifully carved crystal on the end of it. Donna's eyes widened in shock. They looked absolutely gorgeous.

     As she pulled the necklace out of the box to get a better look at it, the Doctor explained, “The crystal's from the planet Wareeian.” She could believe the rock was alien. It was a smooth black, but seemed to glow with blues and pinks and reds from deep inside. Donna had never seen a stone like it on Earth. “And the earrings are made from a very basic crystal-like life-form from the planet Ifee.”

     Donna started. “They're alive?” She glanced at the amber-colored diamond-looking earrings dubiously. “And I'm s'pposed to wear 'em?”

     He shook his head. “They're alive about as much as bacteria. Not enough to be self-aware or anything. They don't eat anything either, they just get their energy from the sun and the air. It's like having a plant in your house.” When Donna still looked uncertain, he added, “They do, however, produce sound. Go on, put them on, see what I mean.”

     Still wary, Donna took the earrings and put them on, waiting to see what the Doctor was talking about. For a few seconds, there was silence. Then, a soft sound, like a bell. A soft, cheery tune played in her ears. Even with the revelation that these were living creatures, she couldn't help but grin at the gentle melody. “It's beautiful,” she admitted. “Thank you.”

     Lestrade went next. He opened the gift that Donna had handed to him, pausing in surprise when he'd unwrapped it. It was an old camera, a kind he hadn't seen in ages. “It's a Polaroid,” he remarked in surprise.

     “Yep,” Donna confirmed. “A genuine Earth camera, according to sign. I figured since you like taking pictures whenever we go anywhere, you might like to have this with you. I mean, it's a bit bulky, but it seemed like the sort of thing you'd like.”

     He grinned. “It's brilliant! Thanks, Donna.” He'd used to have a camera like that when he was younger. Lestrade turned the camera on Molly, who rolled her eyes but smiled obediently. He snapped the photo, and it slid out of the camera a few seconds later. He waved it a bit as the photo developed, then handed it to Molly with a grin. “Here you go. Happy Christmas. And this.” Lestrade handed her a small box from the pile as well.

     Molly set aside the photo for later and started in on the present. It was smaller than Lestrade's Polaroid, about the size of Donna's. When she unwrapped it and pulled the lid off the box, she blinked in surprise. A thin chain for a necklace sat in the box, made out of silver that had a slight blue tinge to it. She looked up at Greg questioningly. “It's for your fob watch necklace,” he explained. “You said the chain broke.”

     She felt a rush of warmth that he had remembered such a throw-away comment. “It did. I think the chain was too thin for it.” The fob watch was from those three months when she'd had to protect and look after a Doctor who'd turned himself human and lost his memories. He'd miniturized it and given it to her as a necklace. She'd carried it with her all through the Year, and wore it constantly since. It had only been a week since the chain had broke, but it had still felt odd to be without the familiar weight of it.

     “The chain's made of some kind of alien metal,” he told her. “I forget what they said it was. But it's supposed to be really strong stuff. It shouldn't break anytime soon.”

     Molly smiled. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “Thank you,” she told him.

     The next few gifts went in a similar order. Donna seemed to really like the scarf Greg got for her, made from some sort of soft, thin fabric and covered with an intricate pattern. She'd noticed on a planet they'd visited some time ago and remarked that she'd like one. Apparently, Greg had remembered. He'd also gotten the Doctor a watch that apparently changed it's system of time based on whatever star system it happened to be in. In return, the Doctor had gotten Greg a mobile phone from several years in the future that had a lot of cool gadgets and apps. It had also been rigged to call anywhere in time and space, just like Molly and Donna's phones.

     Molly and Donna's gifts to each other were next. They were both similarly shaped, but Molly's from Donna was a bit thicker. She opened hers first, grinning in delight when she saw the Hobbit movies sitting in a neat pile. “Figured you'd like those, since you're a Lord of the Rings fan and all,” Donna explained. “I didn't think you'd seen them. They came out after you came on the TARDIS, didn't they?”

     “Yeah, they did.” Molly turned to Greg, who was also a Tolkien fan. “We're marathoning these later,” she stated.

     Greg looked equally excited at the prospect. “Brilliant!”

     Donna began to open her present from Molly. She seemed surprised when she unwrapped a copy of Wicked. “There's a movie?” she asked Molly.

     She shrugged in response. “Yeah, in the future. Seems like they finally got around to making it. You liked the play, so I thought you'd enjoy the movie.”

     “Great!” the ginger woman said with a grin. “Thanks, Molly.”

     The Doctor was next. He got an genuine, old-style typwriter from Donna, which he adored. There were only a few gifts left on the pile at this point. Two small ones, and one large one. The first one was from the Doctor to Molly. When she opened it, she saw a metal band with some sort of display on the front. It seemed to be a bracelet of sorts.

     “The bands at the mall gave me an idea,” the Doctor explained. “This works very similarly. It's not a transport, but it can read your mind.” She slipped it onto her wrist, looking at it curiously. “It's for the TARDIS library. If you think of a book or author or genre, it'll work as a sort of GPS tracker for wherever that book is in the library. I figured since the library's kind of big -”

     “It's perfect,” Molly broke him off eagerly. “Thank you!” It would be perfect for the library, with all the vast shelves.

     She went to grab her present for Greg next, but Greg shook his head, nodding towards the big box. “You first,” he told her. Molly gave him a questioning glance, but when he gave no answer, she dragged the box towards her and began to pull the wrapping off. It was probably the largest gift, a little larger than Donna's typewriter for the Doctor, and pretty heavy. The wrapping paper pulled back to reveal a plain brown box with some sort of logo on the side. She pulled back the lid, only to pause in shock.

     Inside lay two figure skates. They were made of clear, white leather, or maybe some sort of alien or future alternative, and sleek, reddish brown wood. The blades were a silver metal, with intricately carved designs in the metal. She took in a sharp breath. They were more beautiful than any skates she'd ever owned, or even seen on Earth.

     The Doctor smiled as she stared at her gift. “I know you haven't skated in a while,” he began to explain when she remained silent. “And Greg knew where you'd gotten your last pair of skates. We jumped back in the past to get the right size and measurement. No need to have them heat-molded, they're fitted exactly. We had them based on your old skates.”

     “You mentioned before that you missed skating,” Greg added. “I thought you might like to start again.”

     The Time Lord continued, “I have an ice rink somewhere around this ship. I think I bumped into it last week. I could show you where it is, if you'd like.”

     Molly couldn't speak for a few seconds. Skating had been such a dear part of her childhood. She'd adored the sport, and the few friends she'd had in childhood had been from her old rink. As an adult, she'd had far less time for it. She'd skated occasionally in her adulthood, but her busy work schedule had eaten up most of her time. When she had skated, it had been on a very old, worn-down pair of skates. They were still sitting in her flat in London, if it even belonged to her anymore. When she'd joined on the TARDIS, she'd left skating behind. She hadn't even thought to ask if there would be a rink on board. To be able to skate again... she couldn't even think of how to say what that meant to her.

     Her throat closed up with emotion. She glanced up at the Doctor and Greg, finally managing a, “Thank you. Seriously. This means a lot.”

     “You're quite welcome, Molly Hooper,” the Doctor said warmly. Greg nodded in agreement, eyes shining with warmth for her.

     “Hold on,” Donna interrupted. She glanced between the two guys and asked, “When did you get a chance to go to the past? We were all at the mall together.”

     “When we were decorating,” Molly realized, before either of them could answer. “That's why Donna couldn't find you after she finished that hall, you'd taken the TARDIS to the past.”

     The Doctor nodded. “I kept the TARDIS on silent and kept her stable for the landing so you wouldn't realize,” he explained.

     Donna glared at him. “You could do that the whole time?” she asked sharply.

     He just shrugged. “It takes a couple people and bit of the TARDIS's energy that I'd rather not use up,” he explained. “And it's not nearly as exciting.”

     Molly decided to intervene before Donna strangled the Time Lord. “Last one's for Greg,” she interrupted clearly. She turned away from the skates, for now, and reached for the final gift on the pile. It was very small, the bow on top completely dwarfed the box itself. Greg pulled the wrapping off, then lifted the lid off the box.

     Lestrade blinked in surprise. Inside lay a very familiar key. His key to the TARDIS, the one he'd used through the Year to keep the Toclafane from noticing him. He'd kept it after the Year, keeping it in his pocket at all times. It was both a memento from the hard year, and a promise that one day, he would travel in that box again. He used it now as his conventional TARDIS key.

     Now, the key looked slightly different. The round part of the key now had an intricate, circular design carved into it. Lestrade didn't know exactly what it was, but he'd seen it around the TARDIS before, and it was on Molly's fob watch. “It's Circular Gallifreyan,” the Doctor explained at Lestrade's confusion. “From my planet.” He glanced at the Time Lord, surprised to get such a specific reference to Gallifrey. The Doctor so rarely talked about his home planet.

     “I got mine carved to match,” Molly told him. There was a note of hesitation in her tone. She seemed to be uncertain about the reception of this particular gift. “You like it?”

     He gave her a reassuring grin. “I love it,” he told her. “It's beautiful.” The fact that Molly had one to match just made it all the better. The design truly was beautiful. He turned the key over in his hand, examining it curiously. “What does it say?”

     “Love.” His breath caught. She was looking at him with such warmth and love in her eyes. Her hand reached out to his face, resting gently against his cheek. “I love you, Greg.” It was the first time she had said the words to him. He felt a strong blaze of love, and joy.

     “I love you too,” he replied. He leaned forward and kissed her, still feeling that small thrill that after that horrible Year and everything they'd gone through, they were finally together. She kissed him back with all the same warmth and love.

     Evidently, their kiss dragged on a little too long for Donna. “Alright, you two can get a room later,” she interrupted, though her tone held more amusement than annoyance. “For now, I think some breakfast is in order. Pancakes, anyone?”

     They all stood, ready to leave behind the presents and start the new day. Molly was sure they'd end up watching Wicked later, and they'd probably sing carols or got to a planet to build snowmen or something else festive for the rest of the day. But for now, she was willing to just relax and laugh with her family over Christmas breakfast.

     After all, that's what families were for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. I'm done writing Molly again. Now I'm sad.
> 
> Yeah, here's the last chapter of my Christmas Special. Enjoy the feels, and the Hoopstrade fluff. You know, for someone who hates writing Romance because I suck at it, I seem to be doing it quite a bit lately. The things I'll do for Hoopstrade and Rose/Doctor. *shakes head* I really did try to fit as much Hoopstrade fluff in here as I could, since it did get a bit sidelined in my story.
> 
> I hope the gifts were enjoyable to read about and seemed like something these guys would buy for each other, and I hope this wasn't too long or boring or drawn-out.
> 
> Merry Christmas to all my readers! :D Thank you once again for reading and commenting for so long. I appreciate it so much. It was a Christmas gift in itself to be able to write Molly and the others again. I've really missed this story. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. :)
> 
> Now that this is over, I can get back to my other fanfics. Molly's story is done (unless I end up writing that Torchwood spinoff), but there are other stories to write. I hope you carry on reading with my new stories. If not, thank you for coming this far. I still have some laptop issues to sort out, but once that's all worked out, I'll finish TToSM, and then I'll move on to my new projects.


End file.
